Research Interests

Research Fields

Research Description:

I am doing research on sensory reception and decision making in Drosophila fruit flies.

1.)
The flies are presented with attractant, then after that with
repellent, and in this way mutants are found which are not attracted or
repelled by anything, though they are still motile. Such mutants are
defective in a final step of sensory reception needed for telling the
legs and wings what to do.

2.)
The flies are presented with an attractant and at the same time with
repellent; now the flies need to decide what to do. Mutants that can not
make this decision and are still motile are being isolated. The defects
in these two kinds of mutants will be discovered. This will reveal the
mechanisms involved.

In larger perspective, this provides an entree into the study of the fly’s brain. Similar work will also be attempted in mice.